Stag and Doe Chronicles
by TheSummerNightingale
Summary: 366 days. 366 moments. 366 drabbles of the stag and the doe, of love and its vices, of friendship and its turns, of family and devotion - of Lily and James. (And, okay, a little bit of Wolfstar too). Ratings vary from K-T.
1. Delirious

**Written for the 366 Days of Writing challenge on HPFC. All of these drabbles will be based on Jily, and there will be one for every day of the year :)**

 **Day 1: Open**

* * *

The way love twists her world around is sickening. It's also deliriously wonderful, like a roller coaster that soars high then plummets without warning then returns to its stairway to heaven, and so on. A year ago she would have rather died than know that James Potter controlled every inch this roller coaster of love.

But he manns her heart with a lever; the more he pushes, the more weight there is in the air between them… the wider her heart expands, reaching toward him and singing _James, James, James Potter, James_ until her head explodes with thoughts of him.

It's disgusting, how she hands him the key that will unlock her love which she has guarded for six years. It's unforgivable, how she is letting her heart open to him. It's absolutely traitorous.

But Lily doesn't care one bit.


	2. James Bond

**Day 2: Bond**

* * *

Sometime, somehow, James discovers the name "James Bond" written in the margin of Lily's History of Magic notes. She is sitting in the library, working on an essay, when James slides her notes onto the table and asks in a constricted voice,

"Who's _James_?"

Lily looks at the folder of notes then blinks up at him. "What?"

"James," says James darkly. "Who is he? Is he in our year? Is he in the Slug Club with you?"

"James," she says after a moment. "What in the world are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about what you wrote here! Who is this James bloke, anyway? You wrote his name at _least_ three times throughout these notes -" James springs forward and shuffles through the notes she lent him. He brandishes one at her and jabs a finger onto the paper. "Look!"

To Lily's embarrassment, she finds herself staring at a small doodle that says _James Bond_ in loopy handwriting. "Oh, that," she says hastily, snatching the parchment away and stuffing it back into the pile. "It's nothing."

"Who is he?" James demands.

She winces. "He's this - never mind. It's just that during Christmas break, back at home, I watched a bunch of these films and I couldn't get them off my mind when we came back -"

"Did you watch them with _James_?"

The sharp tone in James's voice alarms her, but it's the question that makes her stare up at him. "Sorry?" James doesn't reply; he only glares at the table. Lily looks at him, then - without meaning to - laughs.

James monotonously turns away, but Lily quickly reaches out to grab his wrist. "James," she says, grinning. "I didn't watch the films _with_ James Bond. The films are _about_ him." She pulls his hand until he looks back at her.

"He's a fictional character," she finishes with a light smile.

The look on James's face is priceless. "Oh," he says after a moment, and ruffles his hair. The tension in his shoulders releases, and he smiles sheepishly. "Oops."

She only laughs again and promises to show him the movies some day.


	3. Cards and Love Spells

**Day 3: Spell**

* * *

It's supposed to be a game night in the sixth-year boys dormitory, but only three of the boys are actually playing.

While Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew, and Remus Lupin sit (or in Sirius's case, lays) down on the floor, James Potter lies on his bed, legs dangling off the edge as he stares up at the ceiling with a serene smile on his face.

"Oi." Remus reaches up to prod James's leg. "It's your turn."

"Hmm?" James's hand of Exploding Snap cards faces up on the bed sheets.

"It's your turn, you dolt," says Sirius cheerfully. He waves his cards in the air. "Hurry up so I can destroy you all."

There is no reply from the boy on the bed. Remus pokes his leg again. "James -"

"Ah, shut up," James says, but there's no annoyance in his tone. Instead his voice contains a dreamy quality, one that immediately makes the rest of the Marauders groan with comprehension.

"Of course. _Evans_." Sirius shakes his head. "What happened today, did she talk to you without insulting you?"

That makes James lift his head and glare at his best friend.

"She lent him a quill," Peter says from where he sits cross-legged. When Sirius and Remus turn to him questioningly, he shrugs. "I saw in Charms."

"I don't suppose you have the quill still?" asks Remus with a smirk on his face.

James sighs and rolls over to pick up his cards. "Unfortunately not."

"Well stop thinking about her and take your turn," Sirius urges.

But as soon as James starts picking through his cards, Sirius leans forward and whispers conspicuously to Remus and Peter, "This _can't_ be normal, can it? I've never seen any other bloke act this way. I swear on the Marauder's Map, she's got him under some sort of love spell."

Remus glances up at James, whose eyes have glazed over again. "Must be quite a powerful one."

"Well," says Sirius with a wink, "not as powerful as the one you have on me."


	4. Enchanted

**Day 4: Enchant**

* * *

"Enchant me," James says suddenly.

It is one of the rare warm days at Hogwarts, and James and Lily are outside by the Black Lake. They have been here for at least an hour in comfortable silence. Lily's head rests on James's leg as she reads a book. She doesn't really know what James is doing, but every now and then, his hand drifts to her hair and smooths it down. It feels strangely good.

"Hm?" She lowers her book now to crane her neck up at him. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, you do it effortlessly anyway," James explains casually, his eyes fixed at something in the distance, although a corner of his mouth is pulled up. "But I thought I might say it, just in case you want to kiss me or something. Then by all means, enchant me."

Lily fights the instinct to blush - blush _very_ hard - at the mention of a kiss. "What are you babbling about?" she asks. The memory of a night three days ago, her back pressed against the wall, James's hands locked around her neck, hers in his hair, makes her voice sound nervous.

"It also might have to do with the fact it's the only line I can discern from that book you're reading." He gestures to the open book on her stomach. "What _is_ it, anyway?"

"I told you, it's a Muggle novel."

James's smile is wicked. "Evidently a romance novel."

She swats his arm with her free hand, and he catches it at her wrist. Leaning above her face, he grins down at her. "So? What about it? Would you like to enchant me?"

Lily's heart flutters in her chest as she breathes in James - James, who smells like sandalwood and tastes sweet and makes her go mad half the time, who is so close that she can feel his breath on her cheek -

Their second kiss is not like the first, all fire and pressure and frenzy. This one is sweet, soft, and absolutely everything enchanting.

* * *

 **As you can probably tell, I'm going all over the place with these drabbles - not at all in chronological order. So if there is any scene you would like me to write in particular (first kiss, fluff with Harry, more Wolfstar, anything), feel free to comment it because I am totally up to ideas :) Right now I'm kind of winging it by the prompts.**

 **Hope you guys are enjoying this as much as I am so far!**

 **xo Summer**


	5. The Great Hall

**Day 5: The Great Hall**

* * *

When Remus and Lily walk into the Great Hall on the morning of the Arithmancy final exam, they are met with color and laughter.

"What are they -" Remus stops speaking.

Lily's jaw drops at the sight of floating bubbles of confetti, tinsel draped across the walls, and the huge, bright banner that screams "YOU'LL DO GREAT!" tied from one wall to another. At the tables, people seem more awake than ever during the final exams week, and even the staff members seem to be enduring the gaudy decorations with smiles.

Lily peers at the large banner and notices a girl with red hair drawn on the left, and a boy with light brown hair. "Remus," she says slowly, comprehension dawning, "those aren't _us_ , are they?"

Remus, who is also staring at the poster, winces. "I hoped I was just imagining it."

"Oh, my." She puts a hand to her mouth and continues to eye the poster even as they make their way to the Gryffindor table. Remus's cheeks turn slightly pink when Stephen Abbott cheerfully calls to them from the Ravenclaw table, "Looks like that poster was made for you two!"

Lily grimaces and leans forward to ask Remus, "Do you think that they really did it?"

"Of course we did!" Sirius's voice comes from behind them. They spin around mid-step to find him with his wand in hand and an impish grin on his face.

"We even woke up early to do it." James appears behind Sirius and winks at Lily.

Remus sighs and shakes his head. Some of his hair falls into his face. "Why am I not surprised?"

Sirius saunters over to him, and pushes the lock of hair back to its place. Slinging an arm around Remus's thin frame, and thus nearly choking Remus in the process, Sirius says cheerfully, "Because you know us too well. Let's go eat. I'm absolutely famished."

Lily watches James as the other boys leave. "This is all very sweet, James."

"I know," he says proudly. "See, when you and Remmy get your O's for Arithmancy, you'll owe some credit to me and Padfoot."

She rolls her eyes at him but impulsively reaches out to grab his hand. It is warm as he, visibly pleased though surprised, folds his fingers over hers. "Come on, let's eat." She bites her lip then smiles at him over her shoulder. "And thanks."

* * *

 **Eep I am so excited about the new cover for this collection! Let me know what you guys think about it. Also, please keep giving me mini plot/scene ideas! I love having more inspiration for these drabbles :) See you tomorrow with another drabble!**

 **xo Summer**


	6. Handful of Love

**Day 6: Awaken**

* * *

The fireplace crackled. On the couch some ways in front of it sat three figures, though only James Potter was awake. He held a glass of pumpkin juice in one hand, his other wrapped around Lily, whose head rested on his shoulder.

And in Lily's arms, as fast asleep as his mother, lay baby Harry, his tuft of black hair already so similar to James's sticking out from under his blanket.

James took a sip of juice. His feet were propped up on the coffee table and though his knees were starting to ache from being in the same position for so long, he didn't want to move, or both his wife and his child would wake up.

"Mmm…"

James looked down at Harry and smirked at what he saw. In his sleep, Harry had grabbed a lock of Lily's red hair and mumbled appreciatively. His chubby hands now clutched it as he shifted positions.

 _Little tyke_ , thought James fondly. Harry seemed to have a thing for pulling people's hair. He was especially fond of Sirius's and seemed to delight in yanking at the dark strands despite his godfather's teasing threats. Harry also found it hilarious to mess up James's already wild hair, or to grab a handful of Lily's hair in one hand and James's in another and simultaneously wave it in the air.

The kid was obviously crazy, but then again, he was James's (as Sirius would say).

He turned his head to temporarily bury it in Lily's hair. She smelled as she always did - the sweet clear scent of her shampoo that intoxicated him every day. In other words, intoxicating.

His lips pressed a gentle kiss against her head, but it seemed to be enough to wake her. Lily groaned a little and shifted, adjusting Harry in her arms as she lifted her head off his shoulder. Blinking slowly, she looked at him through sleepy eyes.

"How long have we been sleeping? Is it late?" She yawned.

"It may or may not be nine o'clock in the morning."

Lily's eyes immediately widened in panic. " _What_? Is it really -" She spun towards the living room window before sagging back against the couch at the sight of the night sky. She gave a half moan, half laugh. " _James_."

He grinned at her. "Alright, it may be more likely that it's around midnight." He held out his arms. "Want me to bring Harry to his room?"

She shook her head. "I'll do it in a bit."

But Harry, perhaps hearing his parents speak, stretched his arms out in the way that he tended to do just before he woke up. His hand released Lily's hair and he sighed before blearily peering up through half-lidded green eyes.

"Look who's awake," said James, putting out a hand to hold one of Harry's. "Don't want to miss out on the fun, eh?"

Lily rolled her eyes at him but smiled down at Harry. "Come on, Harry," she said, standing. "Let's get you up to your room. It's late."

"You know, someday, he'll learn that the best things always happen when it's late at night." He winked at Lily as he also stood. Leaning over Harry, James stooped down to kiss him lightly on the forehead. "If the bedbugs try to bite you, Harry, fight them off."

Lily laughed, her sparkling green eyes reflecting the warm light from the fireplace. "If Harry tries to fight, he'll -"

She broke off at the "Ouch!" that came from James, and the delighted giggle from a proud Harry, who held in his hands a baby-sized fistful of his father's black hair.


	7. Desire

**Day 7: Mirror**

* * *

The Mirror of Erised, decorated with ornate gold carvings all around its border, stood in all its glory in front of their son, who stood in the dark of what used to be a Charms practice room.

James heard Lily draw a shuddering breath as Harry whispered to the mirror, "Mom? Dad?" The hesitation in his voice - as if he dared not hope, dared not think that he was actually seeing his mother and father in front of his very eyes - was nearly palpable, and it made James want to reach out and wrap his arms around Harry.

"Harry," Lily whispered back. But of course Harry could not hear her. James tightened his arm around his wife.

They were here as spirits, called down by the roaming spirits of Hogwarts by word that their son had found the mirror in the school. Of course they had immediately filed for permission to visit Hogwarts, and now here they were, invisible to their son's eyes; yet it did not matter, in the end, because he was staring at their faces in the mirror anyway.

Lily and James saw what Harry saw in the mirror - the entire family tree extending to the very back of the mirror. James could spot his parents and his grandparents behind him, Lily's pretty mother and father.

He wanted to call out to his son and tell him that he was here, as he and Lily always were. They were a part of him and would walk by his side always - _of course_ they would.

Next to him, Lily voiced his thoughts aloud. "We're always here, Harry," she said.

Together they moved toward their son, who was pressing his hands against the mirror now, as if he could drink in the glassy surface and grab every single Potter that the mirror held and hold them all close to his heart. They stood on either side of him, their hands on his shoulders. Lily rubbed Harry's back slowly, lovingly.

They stood there in silence, listening to Harry's deep breaths and watching his green eyes remain fixed, nearly unblinking, on the mirror for five minutes, ten, fifteen, almost thirty. Finally, Harry gulped and tore his eyes away from the mirror, wincing as if it caused him pain to look away.

"I'll come back," he stated to the mirror, to the images that it held. He whipped James's old Invisibility Cloak over his head, though to Lily and James, he remained visible.

So when James cleared his throat and said softly, "We'll see you, son," neither he nor Lily missed the way Harry stopped in his tracks and turned his head back for a fraction of a second, as if he could hear his father speak through the mirror. They paused.

But to Harry, it was only a figment of his imagination. He turned away and snuck back into the Gryffindor Tower. There, he had serene dreams of his family, of his father's face and his mother's gentle, loving touch on his back.

* * *

 **So this is definitely less Jily and more family/Harry, but this is where the prompt brought me so why not? Don't worry; the next chapter will return to young Jily fluff :)**


	8. Sweet Hidden Feelings

**Day 8: Hidden**

* * *

"I _knew_ it," said Marlene Mckinnon triumphantly, for about the hundredth time. "I knew it, I knew it, I _knew_ it. You were _such_ a liar, Evans."

Lily scowled but buried her face in her hands. "I didn't know," she protested for the ninetieth time.

"Well, I did," said Marlene excitedly. She was practically beaming. "And I told you, too, but you didn't believe me."

The girls were seated on Lily's bed, cross-legged and across from each other. Marlene was grinning largely - and had been, since ten minutes ago, when Lily admitted that she might have a lot more than antagonistic feelings toward a certain dreadfully annoying seventh-year. In other times, Lily would have ended a conversation about her love life far earlier - that is to say, before it could even happen.

But there was something different about this time. She almost _wanted_ to keep telling Marlene about how as annoying as James was, seeing him made her strangely invigorated; and she craved the way he sometimes called out to her down the meal table, the way she was excited for Transfiguration class because he sat beside her. These feelings had been persisting for almost a month now - it was now, when she was talking to Marlene, that she finally realized how important they felt to her.

She moaned and leaned back against her pillow. "It's so ridiculous," she mumbled into her hands.

Marlene threw her pillow at Lily's drawn up knees. "No, it's not. It's perfectly normal. The boy's been chasing after you for years and now that he's growing progressively less arrogant, it's perfectly reasonable for you to be attracted to him. All there's left to do is tell him."

Lily sat up straight, mouth open. "No!" she exclaimed in horror. "Absolutely not!"

Marlene looked at her with innocent eyes. "Why not?"

"B- _Because_ ," Lily spluttered. "I can't! No way!"

Marlene heaved a sigh. "So what are you going to do, Lils? Keep these feelings hidden forever?"

"Yes! No. I don't know." Lily collapsed back onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling. She thought of James and his eyes, which she had recently discovered were a lighter shade of brown than she'd originally thought. He and his friends were at Quidditch practice now, she knew. She wondered if they were doing alright with the rain slanting down outside.

When she glanced at Marlene again, her friend was watching her with a thoughtful expression on her face. She blushed and pushed thoughts of James Potter away. "What?"

"You like him very much," Marlene observed. There was a mischievous sparkle in her eyes. "I'm just wondering how long even someone as strong-willed as you will be able to hide it."

* * *

 **I'm planning for this one and the next to be connected. Next post in about 7 hours (since this one is technically yesterday's)!**


	9. Quidditch Proposals

**Day 9: Together**

* * *

"Both Seekers are neck-to-neck, their hands are outstretched - Ooh, Malcolm seems to be gaining speed, and - MERLIN, HE GOT IT! HE GOT THE SNITCH! WHICH MEANS GRYFFINDOR GETS 150 POINTS, WHICH PUTS THEM AHEAD OF RAVENCLAW, WITH 670 POINTS!"

Screams erupted on all sides around Lily, who jumped to her feet and cheered herself hoarse with the rest of her House. On the pitch, the Gryffindor team encircled the field a few times before meeting in the center and simultaneously diving to the ground. Lily jumped up onto a bench to see the team yank their brooms up just before they hit the ground, so that they all landed on their feet effortlessly and to the cheers from the red and gold stands. If she looked closely enough, she could see a head of messy, windblown black hair -

"We won! We won!" Marlene screamed into Lily's right ear. "That puts us in first so far!"

"I know!" Lily shouted back. She tucked a red strand of hair into her braid and yelled, "I'm going to go down before the crowd blocks the stairs!"

Marlene's reply was lost in the shouts, and Lily dodged her way through the crowd until at last she reached the wooden stairs that led to the ground. She went down them quickly and reached the ground in less than a minute.

To her great surprise, leaning against the side of the stands stood James.

Her heart fluttered, an annoying habit that had seemed to intensify and become more frequent over the past weeks. She took him in with care - his tousled hair that looked messier than it had from above, his bright red and gold Quidditch robes, the broomstick by his side, but most of all, his bright hazel eyes, beaming at her.

"We won," he said conversationally as she stared at him. "Good game, didn't you think?"

Lily cleared her throat. "Yes. Er, the Seeker was quite fast." She wanted to grab the broomstick out of his hands and smack herself over the head with it. 'The Seeker was quite fast'? She couldn't think of a better thing to say than that? _Honestly_.

James's face seemed to fall a bit, or was it just her imagination? He pushed himself off the wall and jammed the broomstick at the ground. "Yeah. Malcolm's pretty good."

There was a slight silence that couldn't have lasted for more than a few seconds, but it felt like an hour. An extremely awkward hour in which Lily did not know what to say or do. At last, she said slowly, "You were pretty good too."

The effect was immediate. James looked up brightly and bounced onto his toes, smile lighting up his face. "Was I really?" he asked eagerly. He set himself down on his heels again. "Er, well, of course I was. When am I not?" He winked at her, and for some reason, it didn't seem as irritating as she had always felt it was.

There was a pounding coming from the stands, which signalled that the rest of the Gryffindors were going to come down now. "I should get going," she said with some reluctance that she hoped James couldn't hear. "How did you know I'd be here, by the way?"

James waved his hand in the air. "Oh, you always come down before the others. So you don't get stuck in that crowd, I presume."

She stared at him in surprise. She hadn't known he'd noticed, and that he even knew the reason why.

James shifted on his feet. "Before you go, I was just wondering - you know, they made that announcement at the beginning of the game, about the Hogsmeade trip - I know this is all of a sudden but -" He looked at her with hopeful eyes. "Would you want to come with me?"

Lily's mouth parted open. All the memories of the other times James had asked her to Hogsmeade, to the Christmas dance, even just to _dinner_ in the Great Hall with elaborate charms and plans and his confident swagger suddenly surfaced in her mind. She had said no to roses, to clever jokes (though she would never admit that it had taken all her will not to laugh at them at the time), even to a silly song he and Sirius wrote - and here James was now, simply _asking,_ with the Marauders nowhere to be found and no huge posters to be seen - here James was now, and all Lily wanted to do was say _yes_.

She thought of how Marlene had said yesterday that she would eventually be unable to hide her feelings for James. It was true, she thought ruefully. There was no way she could hide it, not even if she tried to hide it from herself. Slowly, Lily nodded and let go. "Okay."

James looked stunned. "What?"

"Okay. Yes. I'll go to Hogsmeade with you." She could feel her blood rushing into her cheeks.

"You _will_?" He stared at her in astonishment. "B-But Lily -"

At that moment, a large shadow passed over the field, and she could hear a pause in the cheers from the stands. She craned her head up in confusion. Her mouth dropped wide open.

A large red poster was suspended in the sky, three figures floating on broomsticks and holding it in place. She spotted Sirius's long hair and Peter's small form. On the poster were the words, in gold, "Hogsmeade with you would be a Lil-ttle better than with them."

She closed her mouth and turned to James, who was waving up at the sky frantically. "It wasn't - They weren't - it - supposed to -" he said incomprehensibly. "They weren't - Ah, but I said the _words_ -"

"What on earth are you saying?" Lily peered up at the sky. "Is that a pun? With my name?"

James appeared to give up trying to signal to his friends. "It was supposed to come out after you rejected me," he explained. "So I would say the words - 'but, Lily' - and then they'd appear so that you would reconsider after seeing our glamorous poster for you. But - ah - you didn't reject me."

"Which is a good thing, I'm assuming."

His eyes widened fractionally. "Most definitely."

"Good," she said, then reached over to grab the broomstick from his hands. She pushed it into his. Their fingers brushed, and she felt a jolt of intense warmth or electricity (she was not sure which) travel up her arm. She blushed. "Now get up there and take that incredibly corny but sweet poster out of the sky."

* * *

 **Wowie this turned out much longer than I expected.**


	10. Filthy

**Day 10: Filthy**

* * *

James had been innocently strolling down the third-floor when the Slytherin group ambushed him.

He had only glanced down one second to see if his books were in his bag, and when he looked back up, the group of seventh-year boys stood in the middle of the corridor, blocking his path.

He raised his eyebrows nonchalantly and came to a stop just in front of Thomas Mulciber, the biggest of the group.

"I would say that it's a pleasant surprise to see you all," James said pleasantly, "but it's not. In fact, it's unfortunate I have to see all of your slimy faces at once. It's almost too much for innocent eyes."

"Better you have no eyes then," Avery said snidely.

"If it means not seeing any of you." He pulled his wand out of his pocket and dropped his grin. "Now get out of the way."

He began to walk toward them - until, like puppets, every single one of the Slytherins pulled out their own wands and pointed them at him. "No," drawled Mulciber. "We wanted to talk to you."

"Doesn't everyone?" James eyed the wands pointed at him. "Six against one. How noble."

"Nobility is for Gryffindors, Potter." Severus Snape smirked at him. "It's not saving you now, is it?"

"So you're going to hex me all at once? I bet you couldn't," he taunted. "Imagine. It takes six of you idiots to get one of me. That's not a very good thing to put on your reputation, eh?"

Snape's face twisted and it seemed very much like he wanted to hex James anyway.

Before he could, though, Mulciber pushed past him and proclaimed loudly, "Here you are talking about nobility when you're letting a filthy Mudblood run her hands all over you." He must have mistaken the stunned look on James's face for fear because he continued derisively, "Of course, everyone knows that you and that Mudblood girl are -"

" _Langlock_." With a flick of James's wand, Mulciber found his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth. The rest of the Slytherins immediately raised their wands, but something in James's murderous expression must have made them nervous - Snape especially looked pale and shocked, staring at Mulciber with a stricken expression -

"Move," said James, and he was shaking with all his anger. His wand emitted livid red sparks. He didn't trust himself to stay here much longer, and he had promised Lily that he wouldn't hex any more Slytherins no matter how annoying they were - he had _promised_ her -

"Move," he ground out. "Or I'll hex each and every one of you."

He pushed past Snape and Avery and Conley until the Slytherins all stood behind him.

James cast them a withering glare over his shoulder. Though his hands were clenched in fists, he made certain that his voice was steady as he warned, "The next time any of you talk about Lily, I will find you and make you wish you'd never been born."

He lowered his voice, but it seemed to carry all the way down the hallway. "She is _anything_ but filthy. But you are."

* * *

 **Hmm angry James. I had a little trouble portraying him in that way, because I'm so used to cute or funny or happy James XD Anyway I'm glad this turned out to be an only-James drabble. Just because Lily already had hers a couple chapters back.**


	11. In All Colored Lights

**Day 11: Curiosity**

* * *

She was curious about _everything_. The walls of photographs in the living room, the changing color of the fire in the grate, the way his parents' kitchen utensils could do their own work - even the _clock_ Lily found fascinating, wanted an explanation about, wanted to stand there and observe the tiniest details engraved in its surface.

Of course, Fleamont and Euphemia Potter were overjoyed to sate his girlfriend's persistent curiosity over magical objects strewn about the house or the special lighting system in the parlor. At one point, as Lily asked his mother about what material made the spoons in the kitchen perfectly reflective, James's father pulled him aside, blue eyes sparkling.

"You wrote to us that she was clever," Fleamont whispered, obviously pleased, "but you never mentioned her appreciation for so many things!"

"That takes too many words to write," James pointed out smartly, but his father had already left him leaning alone on the doorframe - he had gone back to entertain Lily about the way their wizard calendar worked.

He could tell that his mother _really_ approved of Lily, because at one point, _she_ drew James aside and demanded him why he hadn't brought her over yet before. "Especially," she admonished with a twinkle in her eyes, "since you're obviously going to marry her."

That caused him to choke on his pumpkin juice, which had made Lily and his father look over curiously only to both burst into laughter at the spilled juice on his shirt.

Merlin. Already, just after two hours, they were teaming up against him.

And even later that evening, as he and Lily sat in his parent's living room, Lily still seemed amazed at all of the functions of a true magical house.

"The way you do party decorations - your mum described it all to me, it's absolutely breathtaking." She paused and lifted her head to look at him. Her green eyes were bright and happy. "Your parents are really nice, James. I like them a lot."

He grinned and squeezed her hand. "Well, they like you a lot too. For some reason, they have the crazy notion that you're more responsible and clever than I am."

Lily rolled her eyes but said simply, "I'm glad we came to visit them."

"Me too. Your parents next time?"

"Sounds good. They've been wanting to see you again, despite your disaster with the microwave last time."

Smiling, Lily leaned up to peck a light kiss on his lips. At that moment, the fire flamed up in green, yellow and red, bathing the room in colorful lights as sweet and content as the couple on the couch.

* * *

 **Here's a sweet one to balance yesterday's more serious one! :)**


	12. Impression

**Day 12: Diagon Alley**

* * *

The first time Lily walks into Diagon Alley, trailing directly behind the tall and strict Professor McGonagall, she forgets to breathe.

At first sight, the alley seems similar to this one street back at home, the one with all of the shops that she and Petunia and Sev love most - the book shop, the toy shop, the ice cream parlor. This Diagon Alley place, it looks like that: the same bright shops and sweet bustle of shoppers.

But back home, there are no screeches of owls coming from the Magical Menagarie, or the hissing of example potions displayed in front of the Apothecary. People wear _normal_ clothes, not these long robes that Professor McGonagall has promised she and the rest of the new Muggleborn students will have by the time they leave today.

"This is Diagon Alley," Professor McGonagall says without fanfare. "We will be getting you fitted for robes first, gathering your school supplies next, and choosing your wands last. Stick close to me, now."

They spend all morning going from shop to shop, gathering items Lily has never seen in her life, getting oddly fashioned robes at the tailoring shop, stopping by the apothecary to purchase a cauldron. It's not until they stop in front of a store called Flourish & Blotts that the world ceases to feel as if it's tilting on its axis and spinning and spinning. A bookstore, Lily thinks with relief and excitement.

It's in the shelves of magical books beyond her dreams that she crashes into a boy with hazel eyes alight with adventure and black hair that sticks up in all directions.

"Woah," he says, reaching out to help her balance. "Watch where you're going."

"Sorry," says Lily. She leans down to pick up her fallen first-year form with the list of textbooks. The boy's eyes widen when he sees it.

"Is that your _Hogwarts_ letter?" he asks incredulously, peering over her shoulders. "No fair! You got yours early?"

Lily thinks about what Sev told her the other day, that muggleborn students get their letters earlier than children from magical families. "I'm a muggleborn," she explains, pleased that she can. "I'm assuming that you are a halfblood or pureblood. Students from magical families get their letters later."

The boy looks even more incredulous. "If you're muggleborn, how do you know all that already?" he demands.

Lily hesitates. "Someone told me," she begins to explain, but at that moment, a man with the same messy hair as the boy shows up. "James, come. Your mother's finished."

The boy - James - grins and immediately turns to leave. Right before he starts to climb downstairs, James eyes her one more time. "What did you say your name was?" he asks.

She clears her throat. "Lily Evans."

"Okay. Well, see you at Hogwarts, I guess." With a whoop, he clambers down the stairs after his father and disappears from sight.

The next time Lily sees James Potter, they are sitting in the same compartment on the Hogwarts Express, Sev by her side and a boy named Sirius on his.

By then, she's already forgotten about that very first, brief meeting in the bookshop.

* * *

 **I'm off track but I'll make sure to catch up by the end of the week. Here's a quick filler drabble for y'all before I go to sleep!**


	13. Shatter

**Day 13: Shatter**

* * *

The night is still but for the flickering light in the common room. Lily is wrapped up in only a robe, but it's enough to keep her body warm.

But even the fire and her fuzzy robe can't warm the pain in her heart.

Images of James standing in the rain, eyes devoid of the light she is so used to, flash through her mind. His voice, not angry - she _wishes_ it'd been angry, that he'd yelled at her - but utterly disappointed. In _her_.

Lily has never felt so broken. She wants to shatter into a million little pieces - not because of _her_ pain, but because of his.

* * *

 **The next few will like this one, shorter snippets of their life! I like to think of them as bite-sized :)**


	14. To Salvage Happiness

**Day 14: Silly**

* * *

It's not easy to be silly when you're hiding from one of the most powerful Dark wizards in the world - one who is hunting you and your family down.

Lily spends nights lying still in bed, listening to James's deep breaths and thinking about Harry in the nursery. It's easier to be more brave in the daytime, when James's bright hazel eyes seem to fill the air with something more substantial than fear, and Harry's gurgling laughter reminds her of all the reasons they are hiding from Lord Voldemort.

It's not easy to be silly when death is a constant threat, but with James and Harry, Lily knows she can always salvage some happiness yet.


	15. The Essence of Innocence

**Day 15: Crush**

* * *

Crush. Peter calls what James feels for Lily Evans a crush. But it's beyond that, James thinks. A crush implies sticky innocent sweetness and pink blushes, but when he looks at Lily, he doesn't see a lovely flower or the idea of a lovely girl. He just sees Lily herself, her red hair, her green eyes, the different expressions she makes when she's tired, angry, happy, stressed.

He hates to call it just a crush, because then it sounds too trivial. It sounds too sweet and materialistic, though he can't understand why.

(Not yet, anyway.)

* * *

 ***cheers because I finally caught up to date!** **See y'all tomorrow with another Jily moment!**

 **By the way, always feel free to keep giving me suggestions! It's much easier for me to think up of things to write when I have more prompts, so prompt me away.**


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